Miyajima Labs 1.0 mil Infinity Mono

[montesquieu]

I did a lot of experimentation with wiring, SUTs and head amps during my time with the Miyajima Zeros.

I still have an arm cable I had made up (in silver litz) taking two-pin output from the cartridge, which went into a single RCA at the SUT, and out to a y-cable. This cured hum 100%. For a while I ran this in (to one RCA plug) and out of Miyajima's own ETR-Mono SUT (no Y cable needed as the doubling to two channels happens inside the box - there is only a single SUT inside) this also worked perfectly.

Head amps have the benefit of curing hum altogether even with a normal stereo arm cable into both channels (at least, mine did - I'm running the Allnic HA5000 into Allnic H7000V).

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

In my experience running all four pins down the two Reed P3 (integrated) RCA tonearm cables into my Aesthetix Rhea Signature left us with a nasty hum. Changing to simply bring the signal down from two pins fixed it.

*if the Miyajima Zero is bridged (summed) internally (which it is) why have four pin outs? I don’t get it. It makes no sense. Especially when so many have hum issues.

 

[montesquieu]

In my experience running all four pins down the two Reed P3 (integrated) RCA tonearm cables into my Aesthetix Rhea Signature left us with a nasty hum. Changing to simply bring the signal down from two pins fixed it.

*if the Miyajima Zero is bridged (summed) internally (which it is) why have four pin outs? I don’t get it. It makes no sense. Especially when so many have hum issues.

I've had Miyajima monos for around a decade. With a bit of patience and attention, hum can always be dealt with. It's really not a big drama.

The four pins work fine in many setups and in these cases allow it to be fitted on a headshell and used like any other cartridge. Any phono stage or preamp with a mono button will fix any hum, most head amps are fine, and there's a fix for any SUT arrangement. You just need to know what you are doing. If you are struggling with four pins just connect two of them, and double up later in the chain.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

I've had Miyajima monos for around a decade. With a bit of patience and attention, hum can always be dealt with. It's really not a big drama.

The four pins work fine in many setups and in these cases allow it to be fitted on a headshell and used like any other cartridge. Any phono stage or preamp with a mono button will fix any hum, most head amps are fine, and there's a fix for any SUT arrangement. You just need to know what you are doing. If you are struggling with four pins just connect two of them, and double up later in the chain.

I have no hum issue. After abandoning use of four pin config for two pin config into the Rhea. See above. And I do realize some kits have no issue with hum. My point was a simple bewilderment with the intention for four pins when in fact it does create quite a hum issue with many systems and given that the pins are internally bridged the additional two pens seems useless in my mind. That’s all.

 

[Vinylshadow]

As a total novice to all things mono, I was planning to convert my second Basis Audio turntable to a mono rig with a Miyajima Zero or Infinity into a Miyajima Mono SUT input into my stereo phono drive and set it to MM settings. I was under the assumption that that was the unassailable truest mono and best sonic option for mono playback.

Is that incorrect?

Would another, as good(or super close), Mono sonic option be to use my primary turntable with its Benz LP-S cartridge and get a Zest Audio Andros Allesandro SUT? One advantage is it would give me an SUT for my stereo MC cartridge and it has a stereo and mono switch. Besides the cost savings another would be system simplicity which is always nice.

Andros Allasso Step Up Transformer | Zesto Audio

www.zestoaudio.com

Zesto Andros Allasso Step-Up TransformerZesto Andros Allasso Step-Up Transformer - Quite Possibly The Last SUT You'll Ever Need! - Positive Feedback

Zesto Andros Allasso Step-Up Transformer

positive-feedback.com

Do many folks use a stereo MC SUT? I have not read of many(although I have not searched it out). Thanks.

 

[Solypsa]

SUT use with stereo and mono carts is quite common, especially with phono preamps built with vacuum tubes...

Some folks use stereo carts for mono and some mono carts feature modern stylus profiles so you won't find 'one path'.

 

[Vinylshadow]

Thanks...My phono amp is solid state.

I was corresponding with Robin Wyatt and asked him about why Miyajima went with a conical stylus when Ortofon et al use elliptical's or nude's etc which gets extended stylus life...and he replied "All TRUE mono cartridges use a conical or spherical stylus for the single wide mono groove. 95% of so called mono cartridges are stereo cartridges strapped to mono so the manufacturer gets away doing it on the cheap, the lazy way. Check all the Ortofon’s and Dynavector Etc. The claim that line stylus achieve more detail is marketing hype- not true. That’s why Fremer, Heilibraun, Pete Hutchison ERC Records, Ying Tan ORG recordings, Blue Note, etc all use Miyajima’s."(and he expected the conical to last 1000+ hours.)

Not that I want to be like Fremer etc but I took that to mean that there is a difference between Miyajima's true mono cartridges and all others. Since I cannot easily change my LP-S cartridge, my only option was to use my 2nd table for mono and go the Miyajima route.

I asked about the Zesto SUT because it looked like an easier option(and would save me a lot) but the mono switch is essentially an internal Y-cable. That does not seem to be "true mono" to me. Maybe I'm wrong!

 

[montesquieu]

What else would a mono switch be? Twin-speaker mono is always a doubling of a mono signal, regardless of where you double it (at the cartridge pins, in a y-cable, one input-two outputs on an SUT or head amp, at the mono button ...). The hum issue from single mono cartridges is somewhat exaggerated, there's always some way to get rid.

As I mentioned I've owned Miyajima mono cartridges for over a decade. Currently I only have one - a 4.0 tip for 78s - as I sold both my Zeros when I got an MSL Eminent Solo (this is worth a look - see my write-up https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...lus-glanz-mh-104s-and-mh-124s-tonearms.31616/ ) but I'm currently thinking about getting a Miyajima Infinity anyway to complement it and probably will when funds allow. (In fact I would probably have bought one by now if I could decide what tip size).

 

[Vinylshadow]

I thank you for trying to help me but I am flying by the seat of my pants on the subject of mono. I've tried to read up as much as possible and one question I asked Otto at Ammonite was, is the SUT technology in the Miyajima Mono SUT different than the mono technology in the Zesto SUT. No reply, but I am asuming it is. I am obviously trying to do the best mono.

I need an SUT as I don't want to deal with Y-cables. Plus I would assume that the mono sonics would be better and truer in the Miyajima Mono SUT vs. the Zesto as it is completely designed for mono.

I see that you have a Miyajima mono and a stereo SUT. So I am guessing you believe the ETR-Mono is worthwhile to get over a unit like the Zesto that has both stereo and mono switch(Y cable).

I will say that while I do have a few 50's mono LP's the vast majority are 60's forward jazz and rock...

I currently have a Rega RB900 tonearm but am in discussions with Jeff Sprall of Audiomods in the UK about his Series Six tonearm of which one of his tonearms is a Rega arm replacement. With my Basis there is virtually no easy tonearm replacements...And I can get a heavier copper headshell plate that adds effective mass to the tonearm.

I am reading your linked thread montesquieu. Thank you. And you sold your ETR-Mono? More to read.

 

[djsina2]

A cheap mono cart will sound better than an expensive stereo cart trying to do mono, not even close in my experiences.

 

[Solypsa]

...and he replied "All TRUE mono cartridges use a conical or spherical stylus for the single wide mono groove.

This is one of those statements that could be a touch misleading. For a cart to be 'true mono' means it puts out one channel of information extracted from only horizontal groove modulation. It is true that the expectation at the time these records were produced was that the stylus would be spherical and it is true that most specialist mono carts use spherical styli today. This is a design choice and not really about cost...

 

[Mike Lavigne]

A cheap mono cart will sound better than an expensive stereo cart trying to do mono, not even close in my experiences.

absolutely not true....in my personal experience.

read the first post in this thread. my Miyajima Premium Be mono, 1.0 mil stylus, was clearly bettered on any mono record by my Etsuro Gold stereo cartridge. which then caused me to jump from the modestly priced Premium Be mono, to a pair of more spendy Miyajima Infinity mono cartridges, which do clearly surpass my Etsuro Gold stereo on mono pressings.

the Miyajima Premium Be Mono is considered to be a very fine mono cartridge, especially at it's around $1200 price point. alas, it is no longer offered.

i'll admit that i had to raise my stereo cartridge game to the highest high level to surpass the modestly priced true mono cartridge, but it is what happened. what does it take for a stereo cartridge to surpass a true mono cartridge? the only one i've heard do it is the Etsuro Gold. maybe there are others?

just my personal experience, and the reason for this thread. YMMV.

 

[djsina2]

absolutely not true....in my personal experience.

read the first post in this thread. my Miyajima Premium Be mono, 1.0 mil stylus, was clearly bettered on any mono record by my Etsuro Gold stereo cartridge. which then caused me to jump from the modestly priced Premium Be mono, to a pair of more spendy Miyajima Infinity mono cartridges, which do clearly surpass my Etsuro Gold stereo on mono pressings.

the Miyajima Premium Be Mono is considered to be a very fine mono cartridge, especially at it's around $1200 price point. alas, it is no longer offered.

i'll admit that i had to raise my stereo cartridge game to the highest high level to surpass the modestly priced true mono cartridge, but it is what happened. what does it take for a stereo cartridge to surpass a true mono cartridge? the only one i've heard do it is the Etsuro Gold. maybe there are others?

just my personal experience, and the reason for this thread. YMMV.

Ok, let me rephrase, not $24k cartridges.

 

[Vinylshadow]

I hope I ask this correctly- I started my mono journey with an Ortofon Quintet Mono but it's still BNIB as I soon knew I wanted better...Is there a way to determine how far up the Miyajima line is appropriate for a persons mono LP collection?

Or it doesn't matter. The Infinity is always the way to go even if the mono collection is mid to late 50's jazz and forward. And 60's rock and forward.
And many reissued stereo fold downs to mono.

 

[CKKeung]

i've decided to move on from my Miyajima Labs Premium Be mono cartridge, sold it 2 weeks ago. i owned it and really enjoyed it for 6-7 years now, but recently found that my mono pressings sounded quite a bit better on my Etsuro Gold stereo cartridges when using the EMIA silver wound SUT's. after pondering what i should do, i decided to step up to a higher level mono cartridge (1) to spread the cartridge hours around, (2) i have the extra arm and phono channel, and (3) i do enjoy the low noise on vintage mono pressings from a true mono cartridge.

the two i considered seriously were the Ortofon A mono and the Miyajima Infinity Mono. looking around for feedback, honestly there was not much. the price was going to be close enough that that was not the issue. i've heard the Miyajima Zero mono a number of times at my friend jazdoc's place and it has seriously impressed me as quite a big step up over my Premium Be. so this data point maybe was decisive in tipping the scales. in the end i went for what i felt would offer the more involving musical experience..........the 1.0 mil Infinity Mono. i think i would have been happy with the A Mono too......

so today i ordered and paid for the 1.0 mil Infinity from Robin Wyatt. it should be here in 3-4 weeks. i will report back once i get it up and running.

http://www.miyajima-lab.com/e-mono.html

in my search for answers, besides not really finding any......i did find others who were asking about this. so i figured i would start this thread.

View attachment 66842

Hi Mike,
I went to listen to a new Infinity mono cartridge of a friend pf mine today.



IMHO it is the best mono cartridge I have ever auditioned in the current market.

Even though it has only <20 hours, it is giving MAGIC to every mono LP played.

Fabulous!

 

[montesquieu]

I thank you for trying to help me but I am flying by the seat of my pants on the subject of mono. I've tried to read up as much as possible and one question I asked Otto at Ammonite was, is the SUT technology in the Miyajima Mono SUT different than the mono technology in the Zesto SUT. No reply, but I am asuming it is. I am obviously trying to do the best mono.

I need an SUT as I don't want to deal with Y-cables. Plus I would assume that the mono sonics would be better and truer in the Miyajima Mono SUT vs. the Zesto as it is completely designed for mono.

I see that you have a Miyajima mono and a stereo SUT. So I am guessing you believe the ETR-Mono is worthwhile to get over a unit like the Zesto that has both stereo and mono switch(Y cable).

I will say that while I do have a few 50's mono LP's the vast majority are 60's forward jazz and rock...

I currently have a Rega RB900 tonearm but am in discussions with Jeff Sprall of Audiomods in the UK about his Series Six tonearm of which one of his tonearms is a Rega arm replacement. With my Basis there is virtually no easy tonearm replacements...And I can get a heavier copper headshell plate that adds effective mass to the tonearm.

I am reading your linked thread montesquieu. Thank you. And you sold your ETR-Mono? More to read.

I had both the Miyajima ETR-Mono and ETR-Stereo SUTs. I think both are very good. I used it with a mono arm cable, the four pins connected to two channels and a single RCA - for the Miyajimas there's no benefit to that except you don't need to worry about how the headshell is wired, you just set it up as for a normal stereo cartridge. This went into the ETR-Mono and had a 'stereo' interconnect coming out. This way avoided any risk of a ground loop. You could achieve the same simply by connecting one channel of a stereo arm cable.

I sold the ETR-Mono (and later the ETR-Stereo) because I was getting better performance out of an Allnic H5000 head amp, which I went on to purchase. It wasn't a step I took lightly though as the head amp's gain is fixed at 29db, while loading options are fairly limited (50, 100, 200 and 500 ohm). By contrast the ETR-Stereo has step-up ratios from 1:5 to 1:100 as well as other useful options to trim the sound. So there was a loss of flexibility to some extent.

The Allnic head amp incidentally has no trace of hum whatsoever when using a normal stereo arm cable and both sets of pins on the mono Miyajimas connected, which is pretty convenient if (like me) you like to swap headshells around - no need for a dedicated arm for mono which is what I had when using SUTs. It was also a lovely match for the MSL Eminent Solo - which for me had the edge on my two Miyajima Zeros (as per my write-up in the link above). I would really love to put the MSL up against an Infinity though.

If I could emphasise one thing though is not to be uptight about using some kind of channel bridging arrangement (be it a mono button, Y-connector or hard wiring a single SUT to two outputs, as in the ETR-Mono) ultimately it's unavoidable that it happens somewhere in the chain if you are taking one channel and outputting to two speakers.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

Ok, let me rephrase, not $24k cartridges.

I think just like with power cables, cartridges and many other things are the same. We have to look at the context of how deeply into the hobby we are. I can’t put a price or brand on where those levels change but sometimes you just can’t hear something because some aspect(s) of the rest of the kit is not resolving enough to let you hear it. It doesn’t mean that those things don’t make a difference in someone else’s system. It simply means that you can’t hear it, or significantly enough in your context.

 

[djsina2]

I think just like with power cables, cartridges and many other things are the same. We have to look at the context of how deeply into the hobby we are. I can’t put a price or brand on where those levels change but sometimes you just can’t hear something because some aspect(s) of the rest of the kit is not resolving enough to let you hear it. It doesn’t mean that those things don’t make a difference in someone else’s system. It simply means that you can’t hear it, or significantly enough in your context.

Not sure what you mean. I compared $1k mono to stereo carts up to $6k playing mono and it’s not even close. Mike confirmed the same exact thing via math. His $4k mono beats his $24k stereo when playing mono. The point being I believe if you want to play mono you’re better suited to buying an inexpensive mono cart versus using a more expensive stereo cart, unless you have the $24k Etsuro I guess.

 

[montesquieu]

I think just like with power cables, cartridges and many other things are the same. We have to look at the context of how deeply into the hobby we are. I can’t put a price or brand on where those levels change but sometimes you just can’t hear something because some aspect(s) of the rest of the kit is not resolving enough to let you hear it. It doesn’t mean that those things don’t make a difference in someone else’s system. It simply means that you can’t hear it, or significantly enough in your context.

My very lengthy experience with mono suggests it's really not about money spent/cartridge 'level' at all.

Mono and stereo cartridges - especially 'true mono' / non-vertically compliant single coil ones like the Miyajimas operating only in the horizontal plane ( for earlier pressings, in a wide U-shaped groove) vs horizontally and vertically compliant cartridges designed for a narrower 45-degree-cut V-shaped groove - are doing fundamentally different things.

Consequently - even though my experience is really only up to about $6-7k, I would doubt whether even $24k of stereo cartridge can really match what a truly top mono cartridge can do in all respects even if the mono cartridge is south of $4k.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

My very lengthy experience with mono suggests it's really not about money spent/cartridge 'level' at all.

Mono and stereo cartridges - especially 'true mono' / non-vertically compliant single coil ones like the Miyajimas operating only in the horizontal plane ( for earlier pressings, in a wide U-shaped groove) vs horizontally and vertically compliant cartridges designed for a narrower 45-degree-cut V-shaped groove - are doing fundamentally different things.

Consequently - even though my experience is really only up to about $6-7k, I would doubt whether even $24k of stereo cartridge can really match what a truly top mono cartridge can do in all respects even if the mono cartridge is south of $4k.

i agree. my Etsuro Gold cartridge (whatever it costs, the $24k is not a number i brought into the discussion) does not match either of my Miyajima Infinity monos at what they do best with mono pressings. the Infinity lists for $3350 (Absolute Sound Review).

and to further put things in context, what i said in my thread opening post was;

i've decided to move on from my Miyajima Labs Premium Be mono cartridge, sold it 2 weeks ago. i owned it and really enjoyed it for 6-7 years now, but recently found that my mono pressings sounded quite a bit better on my Etsuro Gold stereo cartridges when using the EMIA silver wound SUT's. after pondering what i should do, i decided to step up to a higher level mono cartridge (1) to spread the cartridge hours around, (2) i have the extra arm and phono channel, and (3) i do enjoy the low noise on vintage mono pressings from a true mono cartridge.

so all things were not equal. the phono stage i used for the Etsuro Gold was better than the standard CS Port MC input i used for the Miyajima Premium Be by a degree or two, and the phono cable was better. honestly this was not close, and were i to have equalized things i don't imagine it would have changed the outcome, but i did not do that.

hey......i was looking to upgrade and when i heard that compare i was moving on. that Premium Be was not cutting it (at the level the rest of my vinyl had reached) and i paid less for 2 Infinity's than the cost of another cable and another Silver EMIA SUT's and had no extra MM inputs to use anyway. so it added up for me as the obvious way to get that higher performance from my mono pressings. the Infinity is really amazing to listen to.

i did end buying 2 (two) Infinity monos! (Robin Wyatt tricked me by loaning me the 0.7 mil Infinity as my 1.0 mil was delayed) and another tt and arm! but even with that i think it worked out in terms of performance for the investment.

and as i told my wife, i really needed that 4th turntable.